title: Postoperative subphrenic abscess following gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
abstract: From 1985 to 1989, a total of 598 gastric cancer patients underwent gastrectomies in the First Department of Surgery at Kurume University School of Medicine. Of these, 24 patients (4.0%) incurred a subphrenic abscess, postoperatively. Subphrenic abscesses occurred most frequently after total gastrectomies at a rate of 17 of 197 (8.8%) cases. Leaking gastrointestinal anastomoses were responsible for 12 of the 17 (70.5%) abscesses. In 384 cases of distal gastrectomy, only 6 (1.6%) cases with a subphrenic abscess occurred, and only 3 were due to anastomotic leakage. Among the total of 24 cases with subphrenic abscesses, 16 (67%) were related to an anastomotic leakage including a pancreatic fistula, while the other 8 (33%) showed no leakage by contrast roentgenography. When chest roentgenography shows a pleural effusion and an elevation of the diaphragm, then a subphrenic abscess must be suspected. The majority of patients were treated by replacing the intraabdominal drainage catheter inserted during the gastrectomy with a larger catheter. The overall operative mortality rate was 4.1% due to a death in only one (MOF) patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koufuji
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umezu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kakegawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013369:Subphrenic Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D013396:Suction